Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Elmore Leonard


Cover art for RAYLAN
FICTION
Released: Jan. 31, 2012

"A master's valedictory canter around a familiar track--an unimpressive job of carpentry that's still treasurable for Leonard's patented dialogue and some truly loopy situations handled with deadpan brio."
Raylan Givens, the U.S. Marshal who brought law and order to Pronto (1993), is back in a series of three interlinked stories disguised as a novel. Read full book review >
Cover art for DJIBOUTI
FICTION
Released: Oct. 12, 2010

"Not your father's anti-terrorism yarn. Leonard's characters make James Bond look fidgety."
Leonard's company of stock character types--the veteran law enforcer, the savvy professional woman, the seen-it-all sidekick, the horny billionaire--are so cool that they can confront international terrorism without batting an eyelash. Read full book review >
Cover art for COMFORT TO THE ENEMY
FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2010

"The ritualistically extended final story, originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine, marks Leonard's shaggiest hour to date. Not that there's anything wrong with that. "
Two curtain-raisers and one extended tale bring back Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster, the hero of The Hot Kid (2005) and Up in Honey's Room (2007). Read full book review >
Cover art for ROAD DOGS
FICTION
Released: May 12, 2009

"What works best are the matchless incidental pleasures Leonard's world always provides, from lightning-fast descriptions to bull's-eye dialogue, as when Cundo complains about Dawn's nagging: "Eight years inside I dream about her. I come out, she acts like she's my wife.""
Leonard throws together three battle-hardened survivors from his earlier capers, with predictably unpredictable results. Read full book review >
Cover art for UP IN HONEY’S ROOM
FICTION
Released: May 8, 2007

"Despite constant threats of violence and occasional doses of same, the lazy plot is almost an afterthought to the spectacle of a bunch of "useless spy ring guys" as compulsive as windup toys, and about as consequential."
Tulsa deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster, his hell-raising reputation secured by The Hot Kid (2005), tangles with Nazis in a slow-motion dance in wartime Detroit. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE HOT KID
FICTION
Released: May 10, 2005

"The whole sepia-toned caravan, in fact, is so relaxed that even the most violent felonies may leave you smiling. Leonard's gentle epic is as restorative as a month in the country."
Leonard's 40th novel sweetly revisits the Depression, when every Oklahoma kid dreamed of growing up to be a lawman or a gangster. Read full book review >